Doctor Who is suppose to be my happy show. I watch Waters of Mars and went 'ack' from the level of angst and dark!Doctor. I think RTD forgot to switch off after he did Children of Earth and Doctor Who ended up like a mini Torchwood. Not to say that I didn't enjoy the episode! I thought it was one of the better ones since Turn Left, even if it did have some holes that could have been filled.

I can haz Christmas?

Too many years ago Leah, Nola and I started on a fort that was meant to replace the one in the trees. The tree fort was awesome, but not on property owned by any of us and therefore subject to random displays of destructive rage from people who were not us. The last destructive rage left the fort looking less like a structure of any kind and more a pile of rust ridden nails. And lo! this spawned the shed like fort that wasn't nearly as awesome.

...Until we decided to make it so. Six years down the line and we're again working on a fort. 22 is too old for that? what? never. So far we've insulated it (insulation is the from the DEVIL), dry walled part of it and then made the most awesome bed in the world. It takes up most of the room, will fit three singles side by side and has a staircase leading up to it. A staircase!

The rule of The Fort is if something makes us go "That's awesome" then we are to assume that it must be done.

So say we all.

Lazy paper writing

Saturday morning project

Mid semester dash

Autopilot schedule

Project/goal completion

Organization myth

Experiments and goals

Innovation

Pseudo work

Churn rate

Getting things done - list of links

Stealth studying

Quiz and recall*

Use an outline to write a paper

Rapid note taking

Decrease stress w/o decreasing ambition

Exam prep guide

Note taking

Note taking list

Tell a story

Straight A method

Procrastination

Go to fucking class

Paper writing

Popcorn tasting party

Date ideas. Though easily transferable to fun with friends! And more here

-Build forts out of furniture and blankets, and wage war with paper airplanes.
-Go around the city with sidewalk chalk and draw hearts with equations inside on random things
-Walk around a city and perform short silent plays in front of security cameras
-With camera and pair of boots, make photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man.
-Have a bonfire

DIY sites

PnP glass etching

Art project

Candle tissue transfer
Bucket artwork.

Pantyhose to stockings

Jewelry making tutorials

Origami

Beading, Calgary

Bookbinding

Home:

Decoupaged letters

Decoupaged notebook

Kitchen upgrades

Bicycle wheel pot holder

Marshmallow lollipops

Useful things made pretty

Teacup candles

Magazine holders

House of cards (pictures on cards)

Portrait art

Knife holder

Book binding

Minimalist oak desk

Placemat organizer

Crate covers

Drawer shelving unit

Perfect throw pillow and here

Contact lens small parts tray

LED oragami

Evil Mad Scientist heart cookies

"That's no melon!"

Photo calendar

Box joints

Magnetic painting noteboard

Pegboard wall unit

Moar pegboard

Book cover

Encyclopedia crafting

Wine crate display cases (can also be used for jewelry)

Homemade stuff (soap, scrubs and what not)

Cork board wall

Wine bottle lamp

Wine bottle candle holder

Chalkboard screen door

Awesome shelf (made out of a magazine holder)

Inspirational stones

Organizational folders

Shadow box (for displaying knick knacks)

Table lanterns

Recycled carpet samples

Silk scarf throws

Gifts (Christmas, etc):
Ice candles

Sugar scrub

Envelope book

Mixes in a jar

Butterfly art

Hand printed fleece scarves

Ribbon holder

Huge list of Christmas DIY projects Tipnut

Mittens

Bath bombs

1 hour tote bag pattern Tipnut

Sachets - yummy smelly stuff

LED Christmas cards

Uncommon valentine

Paintchip cards

Recycled carpet samples

Kikeshi doll ornaments

Garden fountain (for mom)

Present wrapping, et al:
making bows, and wrapping

Celery stamped wrapping paper

Gift card boxes

Christmas cards

Gift tag ideas

Creative gift wrap

Mizuhiki knot

Gift tags

Christmas tags

Other
80 How-to sites worth bookmarking

I have just discovered the website www.instructables.com, where you can learn how to do anything and everything.

Tetris ice cubes

Screen printing

T-Shirt stencil

Artwork

Fish Tank\

A friend of mine came up with a brilliant theory about the Doctor and his aversion to guns. We were talking about the Sontaran Stratagem and both of us were musing on how the Doctor has seemed way more uptight about guns recently than he has before. In fact it seems to be mostly this new season.

He's never liked guns in previous years, but he wasn't so vehemently against them either. He was about to use a gun on the dalek, didn't have a problem with Jacks blaster, he never voiced a protest about the guns in Tooth and Claw or The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit and began to create a gun to use against the daleks in Doomsday. Nothing was said against the guns in Daleks in Manhattan/Evolution of the Daleks, then memorably oversaw a shooting class in Human Nature (though it could definitely be said that he wasn't himself at that moment).

We saw in the first three seasons that he doesn't like guns, but seems to tolerate them. Then comes season 4, and suddenly he doesn't even want someone with a gun standing next to him. So what changed? What was the catalyst that sent him over the edge? Who died because of a gun in season three.

At the end of season three the Master dies of a gunshot wound. The next time we see the Doctor around guns he's being the rudest we've ever seen him to the people with the guns. (Though he wasn't rude to Ross. Yay! ^_^ We like Ross.) The Masters death caused his dislike of guns to go into overdrive and push it into loathing.

I hope he's able to get over this for his sake and the audiences. I'm also hoping that this theory is at least a little right, and it's not just the Doctor being an ass about guns. I don't find that part of his personality particularly endearing.

DW story ideas:

-Rose takes her sibling to a museum and sees an old police box.
-The Doctor watches her die (Love is watching someone die -death cab)
-Mickey helps Rose get back from the parallel world. Gives her a pep talk to keep on trying, maybe when she's given up. Tells her that he'll get as many big yellow trucks as possible.
-Doomsday story in the style of Drop Dead Gorgeous.
-Rose getting her hair cut before leaving for S2.

I have discovered a new love.

Doctor Who.

It. Is. Fantastic. For some reason I had never seen Doctor Who before. Why? I don't know.

People started talking about Torchwood and Doctor Who (well, mostly about Torchwood and men kissing) and I decided that I needed to watch Torchwood to keep up with the insanity. BUT because Torchwood is an offshoot of Doctor Who, I needed to watch it first. Then lo and behold, my new favourite thing.

If any of you haven't seen Doctor Who before, you need to. It's imperative. It's funny and smart and geeky all at the same time. And David Tennant is one very awesome and very sexy Doctor.

I don't even like science fiction and I love Doctor Who. Though I do wish it was a little more like Firefly. That show will always hold a special little place in my heart.

I haven't had the urge to write anything for months, years even, and suddenly I want to. Probably because of my sudden loss of friends. I don't have a whole let left in this city and it's way harder to make friends now than it was when I was 10. When you're young, it's so easy to make friends. You walk over to them, start talking and presto! friendship. Now? I'm lucky if I talk to someone all day. It's a little depressing.

I have done something so heinous and stupid and just plain WRONG.

I went back to fanfiction.net. Kill me. Kill me now.

ETA: I've found that what I used to think was a compelling story is now merely hilarious.

There's someone at the door for my roommate. I go to find said roommate. I yell. I knock on her door. Nothing. I think...maybe she's having sex or something? I decided to look out Andrea's window to see if the red truck I've been seeing around is here. I open Andrea's door, and OMGWTF there's a half nekkid guy standing there.

I say, "Oops...Sorry!" *slam* *flee*

*facepalm*

In communist China, cat Mao you!

(Hmmm...This joke doesn't work out so well when you can't hear it. Oh well.)

I've been realizing recently that I know nothing about Christians. How they think.

I was doing an email purge and came across this email:

As you might know, the head of a company survived 9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.

One of them missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.

One's car wouldn't start.

One went back to answer the telephone .

One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.

One couldn't get a taxi.

The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.

Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone ... all the little things that annoy me. I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you.

May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.

So I read this email and thought, what about all the people who died? "Bob kissed his little girl on the cheek and winked at his wife as he left that morning. He got on the subway and made it to work on time so he could later have a building fall on him. He died."

Sure, God might have saved a couple people, but the majority get the big shaft? What's up with that? Is this actually how Christians think, or is it just stupid people making up chain emails?

I think this is the problem I have the with the whole God thing. People keep going on about all the micromanaging things that he does and I just don't believe it. I'd really rather believe that it was just something that happened that morning. Pure luck. It could have happened the morning before, or the morning after --- so long as you weren't dead.

I swear people just make this shit up and then send it to all their friends. I have seen so many things promoting the Christian religion that are completely made up and it pisses me off. You should never ask someone to believe what you believe if you're trying to convert them with lies. I truly don't understand why people do these things.

Not a suck, but a customer_wtf.

I'm not sure if all of you have realized, but Webkinz are the new it thing for kids. They are the yo-yo's, and the furbies and the digipets that were hot when I was young. From this, comes a story.

I work in the kids section of a bookstore and lately we've been getting a ridiculous amount of people coming in looking for webkinz. The lady the other day though, she took the cake. She drove from Vancouver to Calgary. For those of you who aren't familiar with Canadian geography, here's a map. However, that's the direct route. And I really don't think she took the direct route. She and her children were going to every single possible store they could to try to find webkinz.

I wasn't the one actually dealing with her, but I talked to the girl who was, and no, it wasn't just a vacation and they happened to be looking for webkinz, their sole purpose for driving across the country was to find a couple bloody webkinz. Ours was the last store in Calgary (there are fourteen) they looked and found one, but no they weren't going to stop there. They needed another one. So on the morrow, they were going to Edmonton (north of Calgary by three hours) and then continuing into Saskatchewan. And then, presumable, further east.

I told a coworker about it, and she said, "I hear the words you're saying, but the insanity...it doesn't compute."

Who goes on a road trip across the country with the single purpose of finding a freaking toy? The thing that makes it even better is that we could order whatever she wanted in. Have it delivered to her house. But it would take seven to ten days to get there, and oh no, that's far too long for her. So she has to go on a road trip across the country.

Also, what does this teach her children? Whine enough and your mom will drive across the country to get what you want? I can't see this ending well.

Broken angel -
   feathers at your feet.
Lift your head
     O forsaken one!
You do not need wings to
                    fly.

This Is All: The Pillow Box of Cordelia Kenn, written by Aidan Chambers.

I think about it all the time. It fills my life, it fills my soul; the very soul I'm not even sure I had until it was moved so. The most beautiful of writing, the most beautiful of characters. It made me want to write, and there are so few books that move me in that way. I stumble over my words. I feel lost in the rich expanse of language. As though the ideas are waiting, poised at my fingertips but when the words spin out of me and reach a snare, the thread becoming tangled and torn. The overwhelming beauty of his writing makes me long for what I could be. Cordelia made me long for what I could be. Cordelia will never leave me, she's become a part of my soul. Her mopes. Her insights. Her beautiful, wonderful life, created on the page to become a part of mine.

I have never been so moved by a book before. I'm going to read it every January. I have a problem though, I don't know if I should read it this January. Sometimes when I read a book too soon after I read it for the first time, some of the magic is lost. All I want to do it read the good parts, the parts I love. But I'm coming to a realization as I type this. This Is All is not a book to read only the good parts. For that, I would have to read the entire book. It is not a book to skip ahead to the ascending action. There is none. It is merely Cordelia, though to say 'merely' is an insult. I need and want to wait for a long time between each read. Except for this first one, I'll read it again as soon as I get it back. I need the time between each read to let it sit, and stew in my mind. To make me think. To make me long to read it again, then once I can it will be so much better. I can't wait to read this book again, and again and again. If I ever have a daughter, I will make sure she reads it as well. This beautiful, beautiful work of art.